Origin

Late 17th century (denoting the Arabic or decimal notation of numbers): variant (influenced by Greek arithmos 'number') of Middle Englishalgorism, via Old French from medieval Latinalgorismus. The Arabic source, al-Ḵwārizmī 'the man of Ḵwārizm' (now Khiva), was a name given to the 9th-century mathematician Abū Ja‘far Muhammad ibn Mūsa, author of widely translated works on algebra and arithmetic.

Algorithm initially meant the Arabic or decimal notation of numbers; it is a variant, influenced by Greek arithmos ‘number’, of Middle English algorism which came via Old French from medieval Latin algorismus. The Arabic source, al-kwārizmī ‘the man of Kwārizm’ (now Khiva), was an alternative name for the 9th-century mathematician Abū Ja'far Muhammad ibn Mūsa, author of widely translated works on algebra and arithmetic.